While the use of chemical weapons should be unequivocally
condemned, regardless of who perpetrated the attack, it is also the case that
many states have helped fuel the armed conflict in Syria by sending weapons
to the region. Instead of exacerbating the conflict with military
strikes, the United States should seek an international agreement on an arms
embargo and back dialogue that alone can end the horrific violence.

We must use extreme caution in implementing policies that
might escalate the conflict. Limited engagement is never truly limited
and any military option the President might choose will result in the deaths
of more Syrians, including innocent civilians.

And, given the British Parliament’s refusal to support
joining the United States in such an action, the United States does not
currently have much support for military action in the international
community.

Please urge the administration and members of congress to
have the courage shown by other strong leaders in the past to hold off on military
action and renew the efforts for a diplomatic solution. We must work
with the United Nations and other governments to contain the violence,
restore stability in the region, provide humanitarian assistance, and
encourage the building of an inclusive society in Syria that protects the
rights of all its citizens.

It is only through nonviolent means that we can hope for
radical change that leads to a just peace.

The 220th General Assembly (2012) of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) urged our government:

• to support a mediated process of cessation of
violence by all perpetrators, including the Assad regime and armed opposition
groups; • to call for all outside parties to cease all forms of intervention
in Syria; • to support a strong and necessary role for the United Nations,
possibly including observers and peacekeeping forces; and • to refrain from
military intervention in Syria.

The United States should not hastily enter into conflict.
It is imperative that we choose to support a true resolution instead of
perpetuating violence.

Support a just and lasting resolution to the conflict in
Syria. Contact the President, Secretary of State, and your legislators for a
peaceful solution today! Click Here to
send a message!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Curbing Corruption and Conflict: Next Steps in the Fight to Implement Transparency Law in the Extractives

Wednesday, September 11, 2013 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Webinar Registration

Presbyterians were at the forefront of two initiatives to help
curb corruption and reduce conflict in countries where profits from
natural resources are siphoned off at the top, while the poorest people
lives amidst poverty, violence and human rights abuses. With the passage
of the Dodd-Frank Act three years ago, Congress approved two provisions
whose significance engaged the church. Section 1504 requires oil, gas
and mining companies to publish their payments to governments to curb
corruption. Section 1502 mandates that companies disclose if their
products contain conflict minerals.

However, the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, the oil industry lobby and some sectors within the
extractive industries are attempting to undermine this progress through
court cases and through exemptions slipped into new legislation.

Learn
what work has been done by Presbyterians and other allies and then join
us to hear what next steps will be to protect hard-fought legislation
on corruption, combating conflict minerals in central Africa and on
reducing violence in resource-rich nations.

WASHINGTON, DC – In the
landmark case of NML Capital, LTD v. The Republic of Argentina, the New
York based U.S. Circuit Court upheld a previous ruling ordering
Argentina to pay $1.33 billion to hold out hedge funds. Argentine bonds soared
and antipoverty advocates held their breath as the 2nd Circuit Court delayed
the ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court decides if they will take appeals on
the case.

“Our
eyes are on the U.S. Supreme Court. We pray the court will not forget
the world’s poor as they consider taking the case,” asserted Eric LeCompte,
Executive Director of the religious antipoverty campaign known as Jubilee USA.

In
June, Argentina preemptively filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme
Court asking to overturn an earlier U.S. 2nd Circuit Court ruling that
ordered Argentina to pay holdout creditors. Now that the 2nd Circuit
Court has upheld the ruling, the fate of the case lies in the hands of the U.S.
Supreme Court. In July, France filed an amicus brief to the U.S.
Supreme Court in support of Argentina’s request. The International Monetary
Fund’s Christine Lagarde planned a similar U.S. Supreme Court filing because of
the case’s significant implications on poverty and country debt restructurings.
Although Lagarde has maintained her concern about the hedge fund behavior, the
IMF did not file with the U.S. Supreme Court based on advice from the U.S.
Treasury. The U.S. Treasury will likely file in support
of Argentina if the U.S. Supreme Court accepts the case.
The U.S. has filed in support of Argentina at various
stages of the case before lower courts because of the appeal’s impact on global
debt restructuring, poor country access to credit and state sovereignty rights.

“The
religious community is saddened by the 2nd Circuit’s decision as it hurts poor
people around the globe,” shared LeCompte. “It’s up to the U.S. Supreme Court
now to overturn the 2nd Circuit ruling in order to prevent these hedge funds
from targeting poor countries and struggling economies.”

NML
Capital, a subsidiary of Elliott Management, purchased Argentine debt cheaply
when the nation defaulted in the early 2000s. Since then, ninety-two percent of
debt holders restructured. Holdout creditors, led by NML Capital, rejected
restructuring deals and continue to sue Argentina for the full
amount. Hedge funds, like NML Capital, that purchase deeply discounted
debt of poor or financially-distressed countries and then sue to make high
profits are known as “vulture funds.” Often, these funds try to collect off of
funds meant to benefit the poorest in developing countries.

In
addition to the U.S. raising concerns, the IMF and World Bank have continually expressed concern over
this hedge fund behavior. German courts sided with Argentina and rejected
similar hedge fund claims to Argentine assets in Germany.

At
the end of 2012, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court ordered Argentina to
pay holdout creditors $1.3 billion upon its interpretation of a pari
passu, or parity clause. Argentina appealed and the U.S.
Court suspended the ruling to hear new oral arguments in February 2013.
After arguments, the court ordered Argentina to outline an alternate
payment plan to holdout creditors. Holdout creditors rejected the plan that was
essentially the same deal that ninety-two percent of creditors previously
took. The 2nd Circuit upheld its ruling and interpretation of pari
passu or the parity clause in today's ruling.

“Unfortunately,
the decision of the 2nd Circuit is too narrow and short-sighted. Their
interpretation of the parity clause is deeply flawed,” noted LeCompte.

Jubilee USA Network is
an alliance of more than 75 U.S. organizations, 250 faith communities and 50
Jubilee global partners. Jubilee's mission is to build an economy that serves,
protects and promotes participation of the most vulnerable. Jubilee USA has won
critical global financial reforms and more than $130 billion in debt relief to
benefit the world’s poorest people. www.jubileeusa.org

The PC(USA) remembers the March on Washington

Martin Luther King, Jr., Eugene Carson Blake
and other speakers at the March on Washington. (Religious News Service,
from Presbyterian Life , Oct 1, 1963)

Louisville

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) celebrates
the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice.
Our legacy as a denomination is grounded in the principles of biblical
justice and the mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shared in his
mission statement at the beginning of his ministry.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go
free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

Our presence at the March on Washington in 1963 was both prominent
and prophetic. Reverend Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, the Stated Clerk of one
of our denomination’s predessesor bodies, The United Presbyterian
Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA); was a principal speaker
at the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. Dr. Blake
represented the UPCUSA, now the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the
Council of Religion and Race of the National Council of Churches in
Christ. He served as the Council’s vice president. In his speech he
said, “We do not, therefore, come to this Lincoln Memorial today in any
arrogant spirit of moral or arrogant spiritual superiority to ‘set the
nation straight’ or to judge or denounce the American people in whole or
in part. Rather we come – late, late we come – in the reconciling and
repentant Spirit in which the humble Lincoln of Illinois once replied to
a delegation of morally arrogant churchmen, ‘never say God is on our
side, rather pray that we may be found on God’s side.’”

Today, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) identifies with the need to
continue Jesus’ biblical calling of our faith – to be on God’s side - as
we engage the struggle for jobs, justice and equal protection under the
law for all citizens of the world. Both our justice and mission work
around the globe are reminders of the dismal realities that many persons
face in these difficult times. Hunger; joblessness; racism; gun
violence; greed; homelessness; unemployment; voter suppression; wars;
religious persecution and a host other unjust categories that make life
difficult are pervasive throughout the world. These difficulties are
symptomatic of our failure as a global community to combine God-given
wisdom with undaunted courage in an effort to build a world community
committed to justice for all people. As Dr. King reminded us we must be
about the work of establishing a livable wage, eradicating war and
rebuilding both the spiritual and economic infrastructure that provides
hope and opportunity for all people now, and for generations to come.

We join the President and our other brothers and sisters in Washington, D.C. this week in celebration or the 50th
anniversary of the March on Washington. However, we are aware that we
cannot tarry in this or any other commemoration for too long. The world
needs to feel the presence of Jesus Christ through active participation
in justice advocacy on behalf of the marginalized. It is then that those
persons who know longsuffering too well will join us in declaring that
we are one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for
all.

Neal D. Presa, Moderator of the 220th General Assembly (2012)Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General AssemblyLinda Bryant Valentine, Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A Statement by the Patriarchs and
Heads of Churches concerning the situation in Egypt- August 2013

“Blessed
be Egypt my people…” (Isaiah 19:25)

We, the
Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, follow with great concern the
dreadful situation in Egypt, which suffers from internal divisions, deliberate
violence and terroristic acts against innocent people, both Muslims and
Christians.Government institutions were
attacked, a great number of Egyptian soldiers and policemen have been killed,
public property was destroyed, and Christian Churches were desecrated. The
desecration and burning of churches is an unprecedented scandal and goes
against the values of tolerance, lived in Egypt for centuries. We appreciate
the fact that many Muslim compatriots have stood by the side of Christians in
defending churches and institutions.

We strongly condemn these acts of
vandalism carried out by some extremists, and call upon all parties to stop
violence and killing and to work towards national unity, without which Egypt
will risk a civil war.

We stand with the Egyptian people
in their strife against terrorism and militant groups, both locally and
internationally. We offer our condolences and sympathy to all victims and
casualties and pray for healing of the wounded and afflicted.

We call upon
the International Community to stand against violence and terrorism, to help the people of Egypt to
overcome this cycle of violence and bloodshed, and to help to get the country
back on track.

We pray the One Lord to enlighten
the Egyptian leaders to save the values of democracy, dignity and religious
freedom.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

August
14, 2013, was a day of extreme anxiety for Egypt, when the Security Forces
broke up the sit-ins at Raba’a El Adaweya and Nahda Squares. These were not
peaceful sit-ins. Rather they were a threat to the stability of the country and
disrupted people’s lives. These sit-ins included armed banditry that terrorized
citizens, and showed contempt for the law, and defied the authority of the
state. No government can tolerate such situation.

Over
the past six weeks, the interim Egyptian government had tried repeatedly to
achieve a peaceful political solution to the impasse with the Muslim
Brotherhood, but to no avail. In addition, the international community’s
efforts to mediate a compromise with the Islamist group also failed, as their
leadership insisted to impose its will on the nation.

For
this reason, a majority of the Egyptian people demanded the closure of these
protest camps and combating this movement that adopts violence and terrorism.
Although those in the protest camps represent no more than 5% of the Egyptian
people, this minority nevertheless tried to impose its will by force on the
rest of the population, without having the political experience or
expertise.

Dismantling
these sit-ins resulted in the death of several policemen and protesters alike,
and was followed by attacks on several government and security institutions,
and attacks on nearly twenty churches of different Christian denominations,
some of which were burned completely. In addition, a large number of property
owned by Christians were destroyed.

We as
Christians reject violence of all its forms, and regret the suffering
experienced by all Egyptians in these events. Along with all Egyptians, we have
lost the sense of security, but we never doubt the presence of God with us. In
the midst of these difficult circumstances, I would like to leave with you a
few observations:

First,
we trust completely in God's full sovereignty, and that he directs all things
according to his will which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Secondly,
we believe that the best that can be done in these circumstances is lifting up
prayers and petitions to the Lord.

Thirdly,
grounded in faith, the Church cannot respond to violence with violence, or
repay terrorism with terrorism. Rather, the Church yields this responsibility
to the State which is able to do so. And, in fact this is what actually
happened today – as the Church did not respond to acts of terror and
destruction against it.

Fourthly,
when evil and violence abound, the Church must intensify its efforts for
peacemaking and reconciliation, and emphasize its message for dialogue and
renouncing violence.

Fifthly,
the Church is not buildings and bricks; but it is the people of God who must
testify about God with energy and clarity. Though some church facilities have
been destroyed, still these congregations remain alive and vibrant, fulfilling
their purpose to the fullest.

Sixthly,
these elements that espouse violence in the Egyptian society do not believe in
the transition to democracy, or acceptance of the other, or community dialogue.
On the contrary, they seek to control the government, by mixing religion and
politics, and exploiting the religious sentiments of ordinary people. For this
reason, this Islamist movement opposed all state institutions (the army,
police, judiciary, media, Al-Azhar), and neglected the people's demand and
needs, and appointed its supporters in national leadership positions.

Seventhly,
we ask our partners and friends everywhere to understand the situation in
Egypt; to support our country in every way possible; and to stand with our
nation as it takes steps on the right track.

About Me

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Its task is to advocate, and help the church to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of the Presbyterian General Assembly. The church has a long history of applying these biblically and theologically-based insights to issues that affect the public — maintaining a public policy ministry in the nation's capital since 1946.
Reformed theology teaches that because a sovereign God is at work in all the world, the church and Christian citizens should be concerned about public policy. In addition, Presbyterian forefather John Calvin wrote, "Civil magistry is a calling not only holy and legitimate, but by far the most sacred and honorable in human life."